The last post...for now

It is planned that this blog will be relaunched soon as a general RHS Prep Communications blog soon (interest permitting!). We feel the it would be a good idea to try since this blog has proved a great success as a communications means.

See you later and in the meantime THANK YOU FOR USING THE BLOG.

Julie Rainey

Outcome of the EQIA

Julie Rainey, Liz Breadon and Pauline Frazer attended the NI Assembly Education Committee Meeting today (28th April), to hear the Department of Education's

Departmental Briefing on Outcome of draft EQIA and the Minister’s decision to withdraw part of the Funding to Prep. Departments of Grammar Schools

Many of you have asked what the Minister of Education's justification was for cutting the funding by 1/3 if the issue was based on equality. Department of Education officials were asked this question by members of the Education Committee. John McGrath, DE Deputy Secretary, explained that the Education Minister was "continuing the trajectory" on from previous funding cuts in 1994 (50% to 40%) and 1998 (40% to 30%). She did not feel this was "out of kilter" to make the reduction to 20% (i.e. the what the "reduced by 1/3" means). She had taken consideration of responses and advice given to her and therefore was not removing the funding altogether as previously proposed, though she was still of the personal opinion that prep funding was inequitable.

There was no indication that anything was in the pipeline in future years with regard to further cuts. It was referred to that the previous cuts were in 1998. There was plenty of opportunity for DE officials to indicate if there any plans and there was nothing to report. They said no Departments at all could make guarantees for years down the line.

Interestingly at the end of the session, a Sinn Fein Committee Member said of the Minister "she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't".

It was suggested by Committee Members that perhaps the Minister had 'saved face" with the 1/3 cut.

That’s the explanation we got.

A very big thank you

Dear Parents & Guardians

The Board of Governors' letter on Friday 23 April was a welcome summation of the sentiments & determination felt by the whole school following the announcement at the Education Committee at Stormont last week.

As a Parents’ Group, we want to add a huge ‘thank you’ of our own to you all. As a small working party we have been highly reliant on your support, timely response to calls for action &, above all, your ability to hold your nerve throughout a stressful few months. We very much appreciate the trust you placed in us & in the information & advice we provided. Testament to this has been the net minimal disruption to pupil numbers & the new pupils joining the school throughout this turbulent period.

Above all, we appreciate the barrage of letters & emails you sent to DENI & other external bodies, MLAs & to OFMDFM, both initial letters & follow up letters, to keep the pressure up. You should be under no illusion, that without this we would not be where we are today, as it was clear that it was not just the volume of correspondence, but the personal arguments posed which were crucial to the outcome. Recent soundbites from OFMDFM indicate this has been the most professional & aggressive campaign & lobbying they have EVER seen & we understand the correspondence received by OFMDFM numbered in the thousands! Do stand back, think about this & be proud that you, the people representing 1.5% of the pupil population of Northern Ireland, did this & that in doing so, you have invested in your childrens’ future educational rights & standards.

It is with some sorrow that we will see RHSprepfunding.blogspot.com wind down in its current form. We have, however, decided not to kill it off completely as, now established, we feel it may be a useful communication tool for wider ‘prep communications’ in future. Watch this space!

Please also be reassured that the Education Minister is certainly not off our radar! We continue to be vigilant & liaise on the political, inter-prep school & legal fronts, maintaining the relationships & completing the work of recent months

Regards

RHS Prep Parents’ Group

Full steam ahead for Regent House Prep

A very welcomed letter was sent out to all RHS Prep Department parents on 23rd April, on behalf of the Board of Governors, by our Acting Head of Department and Chairman of the Board of Governors

In the letter, they stated that they were delighted that "the disruption caused to controlled Preps is now over."

The Board of Governors said that they looked forward to a "time of continued commitment and partnership with parents".

It was also confirmed that the appointing of a permanent Head of Department has already been put in motion.

I'm sure you will all agree that the letter we all received encourages us to move on.

It's business as usual at RHS Prep.

Onwards and upwards!

McIlveen welcomes Ruane U-turn

DUP Education Committee Member, Michelle McIlveen has welcomed the Education Minister’s U-turn on Preparatory Department funding. The Minister has decided to continue funding for the Preparatory Department’s for the forthcoming year but the funding is to be reduced by 1/3. Commenting on the decision the DUP member for Strangford said:

“Clearly, the fact that the Preparatory Departments are to continue to receive funding is very welcome news, although that funding is to be reduced by 1/3. Preparatory Departments represent fantastic value for money in terms of the results and to remove that funding totally would have resulted in an additional burden on the Education Budget. It is a relief to many of those parents who send their children to Preparatory Departments, particularly in these fraught financial times, that funding will continue. It is also a relief for the children at these schools who faced uncertainty whether they would still be going to their school next year. The DUP has been fighting hard for those parents and children in bringing this matter to the fore.

This U-turn has been carried out in the face of extreme pressure not only from DUP, but by extremely concerned parents who care about their children being used as political pawns by Caitriona Ruane in pursuit of her educational jihad. She has been seen to crumble under that pressure. The uncertainty that has been created due to the Minister’s dithering over this funding issue is nothing short of disgraceful and can only have resulted in having a negative impact on the children. In light of this we will now be having discussions with the sector as to how we deal with this issue given the damage which has been done.”

Source - http://www.dup.org.uk/default.htm

PREP FUNDING IS SECURED!

A small group of us were present at the Education Committee Meeting this afternoon (Wed 21st April) at which the Education Budget 2010/11 was announced.

So too was the definite news that prep funding was secured although, with a reduction of 1/3 from September 2010. If my calculations are correct, finance wise will be receiving from Sept 2010 approximately £533 instead of £808 per child per year from Department of Education. In context of the Education Minister's initial aim via EQIA to remove all funding, I think we can be satisfied at this result.

In terms of this issue rearing it's ugly head again, this question was asked by the Education Committee to Department of Education and there was no indication of this being brought up again in the near future. John McGrath from DE said that "this is the end of the process."

The main issue is that our controlled status is currently secure and that has always been vital to Regent House School.

Full audio of this meeting is available here.

Education Budget information, commences 19 minutes 50 seconds.

Prep funding decision Part 2 - 6 minutes, 10 seconds and 20 minutes, 36 seconds.

Full item Click here

Preparatory Departments

The Minister also outlined her decision on the funding for preparatory schools in the future following the recent consultation process on the draft Equality Impact Assessment.

The Minister said: "My position on this issue has always been that funding of Preparatory Departments is an inequitable use of public money. I have given conscientious consideration to the responses to the EQIA and recognise that ending the funding completely may cause difficulties for parents and possible disruption in some schools. I have therefore decided to continue funding Preparatory Departments, but at a reduced level. The current level of funding will be reduced by one third from September 2010."

NICCY supports us.

Down High have posted a link to a letter received from the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People to a number of their children. Clearly Patricia Lewsley does not agree with Department of Education's proposal and has written to them clearly stating her views on this.

Here is the link to their article and letter.

Prep funding decision 'by end of April'

It has been heard at Stormont's Education Committee that a decision on whether Prep Departments will continue to receive Government funding is expected by the end of April.

Link to Newsletter article 15th April - Prep funding 'decision by end of April' HERE.

Also for further details on this NI Assembly Education Committee meeting, please see separate post below.

RHS Prep Parents' Group returned to Stormont today to hear Education Committee meeting with DENI officials

Let's hear what the Election candidates have to say!

As we wait for a decision from the Education Minister, we continue to progress our campaign and gain more awareness in both our local and wider communities. We therefore encourage you as parents to now approach the 6th May Election Candidates in your constituency area. Either a short letter or email, asking them if they are aware of the threat of the prep funding withdrawal, the effects of it on our school and of their opinion on it, will suffice. Emails are just as effective as letters, and more time efficient.

This will ensure in particular the "new faces" to Strangford and North Down will be brought up to speed on the prep funding issue and we can hope to also get them on board and support us as soon as possible. This is also a chance to raise the profile of our campaign with all the candidates who will certainly be in the media limelight during the next few weeks.

Remember these people are looking for our votes on 6th May.

For your convenience, below are all the Strangford and North Down Constituency candidate's contact details. Please write to the particular candidates depending on where you live.

Strangford Constituency – Election Candidates 6th May 2010

Mike Nesbitt – Ulster Conservatives and Unionists - New Force

mike.nesbitt@voteforchangeni.com

Unit 5F Weavers Court Business Park,

Linfield Road,

Belfast, BT12

Deborah Girvan - Alliance

deborahgirvan@gmail.com

Strangford Alliance Constituency Office

13 Court Street

Newtownards

BT23 7NX

Terry Williams – TUV

139 Holywood Road

Belfast

BT4 3BE

Tel: 07752056704

Claire Hanna - SDLP

c.hanna@sdlp.ie

clairehanna@gmail.com

Jim Shannon - DUP

Newtownards Constituency Advice Centre

34a Frances Street

Newtownards

BT23 7DN

jim.shannon1@btopenworld.com

North Down Constituency –Election Candidates 6th May 2010

Steven Agnew – Green Party

Room 253


Parliament Buildings


Stormont


Belfast


BT4 3XX

Tel: 028 9052 1067

Email: steven.agnew@niassembly.gov.uk

Stephen Farry – Alliance Party

8 Abbey Street

Bangor

Co. Down

BT20 4JB

Tel: 07775 687152

E-Mail Address: stephen.farry@allianceparty.org

Sylvia Hermon - Independent

Bangor Office: 17a Hamilton Road,

Bangor,

County Down,

BT20 4LF

Telephone: (028) 9127 5858

Fax: (028) 9127 5747

Email: hermons@parliament.uk

Liam Logan - SDLP

liam@northdown.org

Ian Parsley - Ulster Conservatives and Unionists - New Force

Unit 5F Weavers Court Business Park,

Linfield Road,

Belfast, BT12

Ian.parsley@voteforchangeni.com

RHS Prep Parents' Group returned to Stormont today to hear Education Committee meeting with DENI officials

A link to the audio of this meeting is available HERE. (Prep funding item commences at 14 minutes 6 seconds)

A small group of us from the RHS Prep parents group, Mrs Packham, Head of Department and Mrs Fraser attended the public viewing of the NI Assembly Education Committee today (14th April) at Stormont. The purpose of this meeting was for several officials from Department of Education to update the Education Committee on EQIA.

Briefing update on the Proposal to withdraw funding from Preparatory Departments of Grammar Schools

Witnesses:
John McGrath – Deputy Secretary
Roisin Lilley – School Finance Branch
Paul Duffy – Accounts Branch

Before the meeting it was not expected that a decision would be made today, as it is public knowledge that the Education Minister has not yet made her decision. In fact, John McGrath, Deputy Secretary from DENI explained that the delay was due to the Education Minister taking time to review all the responses received and that she would give responses due consideration. He confirmed that there was a high volume of responses, the majority being from parents.

During the briefing, the Chair of the Education Committee, Mervyn Storey, took the opportunity to express with the Education Department officials, his grave concerns at both the nature of this EQAI and the delay in a decision He reiterated strongly on the impact that the whole process was having on parents, teaching and auxiliary staff and children, particularly in the three SEELB controlled schools. He, on several occasions, told the DENI officials that the situation was in no way satisfactory and needed resolved as a matter of urgency.

Mr Storey also expressed his displeasure at the lack of communication from DENI with the Education Committee following correspondence from the Committee to DENI in writing on 30th March 2010. He said that various important issues were raised and questions asked in that correspondence and that, as of today 14th April, the Committee had yet to receive a response to any of the issues raised.

Towards the end of the briefing, John McGrath was asked by the Chair when a decision on the EQIA would be made by the Education Minister. Mr McGrath anticipated that a decision would be made before the end of April.

ACTION REQUIRED- Follow up letters

As parents you can be very much assured that your RHS Prep Parents' Group is constantly aware of what is going on with the whole Prep Funding issue. Within our group, we keep an up to-the-minute eye on Stormont and keep in contact with those people/organisations who can support us along the way.

However, even though we are up-to-date with our information, we feel that it is very important that as parents too, you continue to show your support and play your important part in this campaign.

We are therefore encouraging all parents to write/email back, in particular, to those MLA's, Ministers or organisations who replied to your original EQIA response letters that you wrote at the beginning of March. Feel free to write to others who didn't, but at this stage you are more than likely to get a second response from those who originally replied to you. Keep lines of communication open!

ADDITIONALLY PLEASE WRITE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ENCOURAGE THE EDUCATION MINISTER TO MAKE HER DECISION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

A short letter to simply request a follow up/update on the current situation is adequate. It is the volume of letters which will count this time.

The purpose of these letters, is not simply to get information we already know, but it clearly shows our continued concern, that we haven't gone away and are still waiting for a positive outcome. Remember it is their duty to reply to you.

YOUR LETTER/EMAIL

You may wish to include some of the following points;

• the matter remains unresolved causing considerable upset and worry to parents, children and teachers

• we have already entered the final term for the school year and seek an assurance that every effort will be made to ensure that families are not left in a position where their children have no assurance that their schooling arrangements will not be thrown into disarray by ill advised decision making or lack of it by the Education Minister.

SAMPLE LETTER/EMAIL

RE: Prep Funding

Dear

I am writing in regard to my previous correspondence to you on ...March 2010.

As a concerned Regent House School Preparatory Department parent whose SEELB "controlled" prep department could face closure if prep funding is withdrawn, I am hoping that you might have some further information on where the situation is at currently and if there has been any decision made. Please could you provide me with an update or information at this time?

As a concerned parent I am keen to make sure this issue does not get brushed under the carpet and that a positive outcome for our children and teachers is achieved quickly.

I look forward to hearing from you on this issue.

Your sincerely

Finance Minister - "I believe that the Education Minister is guilty of a terminological inexactitude"

During the NI Assembly debate (15.03.10) on the proposal to withdraw funding from preparatory departments, the DUP’s Jonathan Bell was ordered from the chamber after he refused to withdraw his comment that the Education Minister, Caitriona Ruane, was "deliberately mislead(ing) the House" by associating the Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, with a report from the Assembly’s Business Consultancy Service which had actually been commissioned by the Education Minister. In the Assembly today 13.03.10, the Finance Minister decided to pick up up on this point again...

Here is the link to YouTube where the 2 minute footage is available to view.

(Video was originally from BBC NI’s Stormont Live 13.04.10)

Post Easter update - progress made...

12 April 2010

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Welcome back after the Easter break! Even though we have been off school & the Assembly have likewise been on recess for the same 2 weeks, progress continues to be made in a number of areas.

The Executive

To recap, the Executive are the 10 Ministers at Stormont (eg Minister for Education, Minister for Finance etc.). Of these 10 Ministers, 7 belong to political parties who supported the motion at the Assembly on 15 March, 6 being Unionist & only 3 are Sinn Fein.

In the weeks running up to the Easter holidays we asked you to write to the Office of the First & Deputy First Minister (‘OFMDFM’) requesting & giving your reasons why you believed the matter of Prep school funding should be addressed at Executive level. The aim of this was to ensure the Executive determine whether the Education Minister’s failure to refer her proposals to them for consideration is a breach of the Ministerial Code (ie under the following categories: novel, contentious and cross-cutting, the latter 2 being particularly applicable).

It was important to try to progress this next step in the political process prior to Easter, bearing in mind the ensuing 2 week recess. This ‘letter-writing’ campaign which was initiated by RHS, was spread to & supported across the Prep school population of NI, resulting in the matter being on the Executive’s agenda on the Thursday before the Easter break. Thank you so much for your support for this effort!

The First Minister has now, as a result of this meeting, referred the matter to OFMDFM’s Departmental solicitors regarding whether the matter should, indeed, be dealt with by the Executive. We await feedback on this after the Assembly resumes this week.

Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA)

Your responses to the EQIA were sent to Chris McRoberts by 4 March 2010. To recap, DENI advised that before the Minister for Education made her decision, she would be supplied with a report summarising the points raised in the responses submitted to the EQIA.

The Forward Work Plan of the Education Committee of the Assembly was updated on 31 March to indicate that the 14 & 21 April agendas include a ‘Departmental briefing on the outcome of the draft EQIA on proposal to withdraw funding from Prep School Departments of Grammar Schools’.

We are also aware from the Minister for Education’s written responses to questions tabled at the Assembly on 26 March that:

“To date, my Department has catalogued: 432 responses to the draft Equality Impact Assessment; 70 Ministerial Correspondence letters; 27 General Mail letters; 15 Departmental Web Mail letters; and 6 General Correspondence letters.” (Source:

http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/qanda/2007mandate/writtenans/2009/100326.htm#4)

That's 550 responses/letters! A very encouraging response, I’m sure you will agree.

We remain in close contact with the Chair & other representatives on the Education Committee in this regard, & will update you as information is received.

Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner (NICCY)

We have progressed the issue further with external bodies, including NICCY, thereby heightening their awareness & concerns regarding the particular issues faced by the Preparatory Departments of the 3 Controlled schools. We have asked the Children’s Commissioner to comment on these issues specifically & provide an addendum to their original response to the Department of Education.

Legal

Preparations have been made to seek redress through the Courts by means of judicial review immediately should the Minister for Education make an adverse decision. Anyone wishing to become involved in this process or having any queries in this regard, should contact Michelle Edgar at John Ross & Son on 02891 813173

Budgets

You may be aware that all Northern Ireland schools, & indeed many other public sector Departments, did not receive their budgets for the financial year commencing 1 April by that date. We understand this is not an unusual occurrence in the public sector, but clearly one that causes consternation & inconvenience to the Education Boards. Those of you who subscribe to rhsprepfunding.blogspot.com will have noted the comments of Michelle McIlveen MLA in this regard & know that this is being pursued to conclusion by MLAs.

Other Schools

As alluded to above in respect of OFDFM lobbying, we remain in close contact with the other 15 affected schools &, in particular, the 2 other schools in the Controlled sector, to ensure our efforts are effective & co-ordinated.

We still need your help……….

It is vitally important we continue to all we can to ensure this issue is kept in the spotlight as much as possible ie to ensure it remains ‘contentious’.

In the incoming weeks, we are mounting a fresh ‘assault’ on the media. Already press releases have been issued at national level to TV, press & radio, but we are aware front page news is not possible on a daily basis.

The Education Minister has 1 argument being ‘equality of access; we have many more in our favour & we are keen to drive home those messages on the editorial column inches & ‘letters to the editor’ sections of as many national & local newspapers as possible. We have a complete list of these publications & are keen to have a co-ordinated approach, encompassing as many of these papers on as many related topics as possible. Some of you may have noted our own Alison Montgomery’s letter to the editor of the Belfast Telegraph last weekend! If you feel strongly about any particular area or, if directed towards a topical area, you would be willing to type up a few lines to a newspaper, please contact Liz Breadon on 07720 275452, Sarah Schűtzler on 07809 373385 or Nicola Hunter on 07971 874940. You have proved to be highly effective letter lobbyists in the past weeks – please continue to help us to help you!

As we all pick up the pace again in the incoming weeks, we thank you for your ongoing support. As parents ourselves, we do appreciate you may still naturally have some concerns, but, as a group, we continue to be encouraged by the nature & speed of progress at all levels.

Yours sincerely

RHS Parents’ Group

Department of Education receives 550 responses/letters to EQIA

NI Assembly - Written Answers to Questions - Friday 26th March 2010

Department of Education

Preparatory Departments of Grammar Schools

Mr A Ross asked the Minister of Education to detail any correspondence she has received,to date, opposing her proposal to withdraw funding from the preparatory departments of grammar schools. (AQW 5458/10)

As you know my Department commissioned the Business Consultancy Service of the Department of Finance and Personnel, in January 2009, to independently undertake a review of the funding to preparatory departments following on from recommendations in the Bain Report and to provide a report of their findings. Their Report, which was provided to me in September 2009, concluded that the Department should consider the withdrawal of funding to preparatory departments on the basis of equality of access.

This recommendation was in line with the view of the Equality Commission, which stated in its document "Every Child an Equal Child" that a key component of a quality education system is the provision of equality of access to good education.

However, before reaching a decision on this recommendation, I asked for an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) to be carried out under Section 75 of the 1998 Northern Ireland Act. The EQIA consultation closed on 4 March 2010 and I will give conscientious consideration to the responses received to this consultation prior to making my decision.

To date, my Department has catalogued: 432 responses to the draft Equality Impact Assessment; 70 Ministerial Correspondence letters; 27 General Mail letters; 15 Departmental Web Mail letters; and 6 General Correspondence letters.

Source

http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/qanda/2007mandate/writtenans/2009/100326.htm#4

Per capita spend on schools

NI Assembly - Written Answers for Questions - Friday 26th March 2010

Department of Education

Per Capita Spend on Schools

Mr J Shannon asked the Minister of Education how much her Department has spent, per capita, on (i) Irish-medium primary schools; (ii) preparatory departments of grammar schools; (iii) controlled primary schools; and (iv) maintained primary schools, in each of the last three years.

(AQW 5359/10)

The latest full financial year for which this data is available is 2008/09. The amount of per capita delegated and non-delegated recurrent expenditure for each of the financial years 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09 is shown in the table below.

	Delegated and Non-Delegated Expenditure Per Capita (£)
	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09
Irish Medium Primary Schools	3,306	3,575	3,950
Controlled Primary Schools	3,046	3,288	3,577
Maintained Primary Schools	3,036	3,261	3,458
Preparatory Department of Grammar	816	871	902

Footnotes:

1. Expenditure information in relation to Irish-medium Units, attached to English-medium host schools has not been provided as it is not possible to disaggregate the expenditure of the Unit from the host school.
2. Expenditure information in relation to the preparatory departments attached to three Controlled Grammar Schools has not been included as the SEELB has advised that it is not possible to disaggregate the expenditure of the preparatory departments from the host grammar schools. The number of pupils attending these three preparatory departments has not therefore been included in the per capita calculations for the three years listed in table above.

Source - http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/qanda/2007mandate/writtenans/2009/100326.htm#4

Latest update re EQIA

DENI has advised that before the Minister for Education makes her decision, she will be supplied with a report summarising the points raised in the Responses submitted to the EQIA.

The Education Committee (of the NI Assembly) Forward Work Plan has been updated on the NI Assembly website on 31st March 2010.

www.niassembly.gov.uk/education/2007mandate/education_forward.htm

It appears that the date of 14th April 2010 will be the day for the following;

Policy Scrutiny - Departmental Briefing on Outcome of draft EQIA on proposal to withdraw funding from Prep School Departments of Grammar Schools

Also 21st April 2010.

Education budget delay criticised

NEWS ARTICLE from DUP website 1st April 2010

Education Minister making April Fools of schools

Assembly Education Committee member Michelle McIlveen has criticised the Minister of Education for causing chaos as a result of her failure to provide them with budgets in time for the new financial year. The DUP spokesperson for children and young people, said:

"This unprecedented predicament, whereby a new financial year is starting without proper budgets being given to schools and education boards, is utterly unacceptable. I recently criticised Caitriona Ruane for leaving it later and later each year to deliver these budgets, but by failing to produce even by March 31 she has created a serious situation rather than mere inconvenience and last-minute panic.

One of a number of worrying consequences is that dozens of frontline staff whose posts are subject to the continuation of earmarked funding have not known until this week whether or not they will have a job after March 31. I understand that those in this position have now been written to by their employers indicating that they will be employed for April anyway - but, like everyone else, the Education Boards are in the dark as to what will happen thereafter as the Minister has made no decisions in relation to earmarked funding.

This is no way to treat dedicated staff, who are providing valuable and important services. It is also no way to run an education system, especially at a time of acute budgetary pressures. At a time when there is such pressure on resources, proper planning and prudent management are essential if maximum efficiencies are to be achieved - but Boards and schools are being given no chance to apply the rigorous processes they would wish to. Special dispensations have had to be given to allow Boards to continue beyond March 31 and draw down an interim allocation of funding in the absence of a proper budget for the new financial year. Boards have been given an initial allocation equating to a quarter of last year's opening recurrent budget and an additional sum for minor works - accompanied by a warning from the Department of Education that this allocation may in no way reflect the overall funding picture for the new financial year!

As Boards have been unable, through no fault of their own, to complete their formal resource allocation planning process, DE has simply sought written assurances from Chief Executives that they will, in effect, act responsibly until further notice. Placing the onus on Education Boards to essentially muddle through is inimical to proper planning and contrary to the principles and practice of good governance. Meanwhile, even though the new financial year is now here, the budgetary information received so far by schools has been negligible at best. Being left in the dark will delay any decisions which may have to be made in relation to redundancies and so forth - which of course also have implications for the individuals involved.

"The upshot is that, on the first day of the new financial year, I can only conclude that the Minister is making April Fools of our education professionals and support staff who will bear the brunt of this shameful shambles and suffer further erosion of their morale."

Prep funding - it's a hot topic...

For your reading, here are a few other blogs in which the prep funding issue is making its mark. We have come a long way in highlighting this issue in the last 5 weeks.

http://eye-on-the-hill.blogspot.com/2010/03/clowns-to-left-of-me-jokers-to-right.html

http://bobballs.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/quiet-middle-class-riot-in-progress/

http://www.poblish.org/article.jsp?id=250294

http://jeffpeel.net/2010/03/24/new-prep-school-funding-campaign-blog/

http://oconallstreet.com/2010/03/15/prep-schools-and-ministerial-solo-runs-party-before-region-yet-again/

Strangford MLA meets Children's Commissioner on Prep School Funding

Bell meets Children’s Commissioner on Prep School Funding

The trauma that prep school pupils are unnecessarily being put through has been raised directly with the Children’s Commissioner by Strangford DUP MLA Jonathan Bell. Jonathan Bell MLA sought the meeting after being contacted by a parent of a Prep school child with special educational needs. Speaking after the meeting with Patricia Lewsley at the NICCY Headquarters in Belfast Jonathan Bell MLA stated;

“Rarely have I seen children put through such unnecessary trauma and stress as this ludicrous consultation on withdrawing Prep school funding by September 2010. Is it not now widely acknowledged that it is a case of when not if this ill-thought through proposal to withdraw funding by 2010 falls.

I specifically raised the plight of children with special educational needs as I am aware that the trauma of facing removal from their school, isolation from their peers/friends, dislocation from teaching supports of which a productive educational relationship has been formed – is causing stress and undue pressure. Put bluntly as the Minister for Education fiddles with their educational future vulnerable children in my constituency are suffering emotional distress.

I welcome strongly the Children’s Commissioner going public and placing her view on this matter into the public domain. Patricia Lewsley said:

“However, the method the Minister is using to end such funding is not in the best interest of the child, and is potentially causing undue distress.”

The question must be asked - Does the best interest of the child and the potential for causing them undue distress surely not trump the ideology of the Education Minister?”

SOURCE: http://www.dup.org.uk/default.htm

LATEST NEWS

SEELB LMS Consultation Response

Here is the SEELB LMS Consultation Response, which has been obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and which we have permission to post here.

This was the SEELB response referred to at our last parent's meeting.

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED - write to Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM)

**YOUR LETTER or EMAIL NEEDS TO BE WITH OFMDFM IMMEDIATELY**

WHO?/WHY?/WHAT?/WHERE?/WHEN?

TO WHOM SHOULD I WRITE?

You should write to: Rt. Hon. Peter Robinson MP MLA (First Minister) and Mr Martin McGuinness MP MLA (Deputy First Minister).

You can write to them individually or jointly, in the knowledge that all responses must be signed by both Ministers anyway.

WHY SHOULD I WRITE?

The debate on 15^th March was a hugely encouraging start to the political process. Unilateral cross-party support, with the obvious exception of Sinn Fein, meant the amended motion was passed without division.

Despite this, the Minister for Education maintained her proposed actions do not require decision by the Executive Committee (the 10 Ministers in the Assembly, 7 of whom belong to the parties supportive of the motion on 15^th March & 3 of whom are Sinn Fein).

There are 3 criteria under which the decisions must be made at Executive level. These are matters deemed to be any of the following:

· Contentious (having a significant impact on a sector of society &/or attracting media attention)

· Novel (not so applicable in this scenario)

· Cross-cutting (impacting on the responsibilities of at least two other Ministers)

WHAT SHOULD I WRITE?

Whilst we anticipate full support from the First Minister, writing to OFMDFM is a means of demonstrating to the Deputy, in particular, your personal objections to the proposal & showing how your objections relate directly to the above 3 criteria.

Your letter should make specific reference to these criteria as relating to your personal circumstances & views.

A template is provided to help you piece together some of the main arguments you may feel relate to you. Please expand on them to reflect your personal circumstances & convictions. There is also a sample letter written by Alan Shields linked to below.

TO WHERE SHOULD I WRITE?

Rt Hon Peter Robinson MP MLA

Mr Martin McGuinness MP MLA

Office of the First and Deputy First Minister

Parliament Buildings

Belfast

BT4 3XX

Email Addresses-

ps.ministers@ofmdfmni.gov.uk

or

Peter.Robinson@niassembly.gov.uk

or

Martin.McGuinness@niassembly.gov.uk

WHEN SHOULD I WRITE?

RIGHT NOW Even if you did not sent your letter to OFMDFM by our recommended deadline of the 24th March which has now passed, PLEASE SEND A QUCK to-the-point-EMAIL NOW! It will take you only a couple of minutes to do this. The email addresses are just above.

Copy and paste this if you like...

Dear First Minister Peter Robinson & Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness,

Further to the relevant motion passed on 15th March 2010, I am writing to request that the entire matter of the proposed withdrawal of preparatory school funding be placed on the Agenda before the Executive.

Yours sincerely

*******************************************************************

Easter Recess at Stormont commences on the 27th March, but a pile of letters can be sitting on the First Minister's desk and in his mailbox for his return on 11th April.

Here are some longer templates

LETTER TEMPLATE 1

(Kindly donated by Liz Breadon)

YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

Rt. Hon. Peter Robinson MP MLA

First Minister

Office of the First and Deputy First Minister

Parliament Buildings

Belfast BT4 3XX

AND

Mr Martin McGuinness MP MLA

Deputy First Minister

Office of the First and Deputy First Minister

Parliament Buildings

Belfast BT4 3XX

20th March 2010

Dear Mr Robinson/Mr McGuinness

Re Department of Education For Northern Ireland (‘DENI’) (published 7 January 2010) proposal to withdraw funding from the Preparatory Departments of Grammar Schools

I write to you to request that you ensure the proposal to withdraw funding from Preparatory Departments of Grammar Schools be brought before the Executive Committee. I detail below the main reasons, under The Ministerial Code, showing why I believe you should be pursuing this course of action:

The proposal is both contentious & cross-cutting under Paragraph 2.4 of the Ministerial Code, in terms of Finance & Equality, & specifically due to the following: (select any of these as appropriate)

The proposal impacts on more than one Minister, namely the Minister for Finance and Personnel & the First and Deputy First Ministers regarding Human Rights and Equality issues.

• The Minister for Education’s proposals impact exclusively on children & parents from the Protestant &/or non-denominational sectors. She is, in effect, withdrawing an area of education which is inherently cross-community, thereby forcing our children into segregated schooling. The DEIA has already stated that this decision is likely to have a disproportionate effect on non-Catholic children (DEIA, page 17)

• Daily media coverage (both national & local) prior to, & in particular, after the debate of the 15^th March strongly suggests that; contrary to the Minister for Education’s comments on that day, the matter is & continues to be newsworthy, attracting regular, critical comment.

• MLA & public support is significant, resulting in a cross-party acceptance of the amended motion on 15^th March, with the obvious exception of Sinn Fein. Jonathan Bell MLA felt so strongly that the Minister for Education was misleading the House, that he became one of the 3 MLA’s ever to be dismissed from the House. Likewise the public gallery felt so strongly about the motion that they were verbally reprimanded by the Chair for their spontaneous applause in support of Mervyn Storey’s comments, an action which also made the front page of the News Letter the following day.

• It has been made very clear throughout all the guidelines produced in relation to education facilities in Northern Ireland, that the parent’s choice is the most important factor. Article 2 of the First Protocol of the European Convention of Human Rights states that ‘the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education & teaching is in conformity with their own religious & philosophical convictions’. The Minister for Education has based her proposed policy on the view that funding provision in Preparatory Departments can only be accessed by children whose parents can pay the requisite fees & that this is not consistent with the principle of equity in the distribution of resources. However, the DEIA admits that the Education & Libraries (NI) Order 1986 places upon DENI a responsibility ‘to have regard to that principle that, so far as it is compatible with provision of efficient instruction & training & the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure, pupils shall be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents.’ The DEIA states that parents choose the type of education for their children & Preparatory Department education is the preferred choice of education for our children.

• DENI promotes & funds integrated & Irish language schools at an 100% level & to the disadvantage of other sectors. I request you compare this with the current 30% level of Preparatory Department funding & it is clear to see that the threat to withdraw Preparatory Department partial funding is blatantly discriminatory.

• What provisions will be put in place should parents be unable to continue to pay increased fees & they are unable to gain a place in a local primary school considerate of their choice & rights under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1988?

• My husband & I have exercised our fundamental right to choose a non-denominational primary school, other than an integrated school. We are concerned that our & our children’s human rights are being infringed.

• Regent House School & its Preparatory Department are Controlled schools, coming under the auspices of the SEELB. If DENI withdraws funding the ramifications on the viability & continuation of the Preparatory Department have not been considered & may include staff redundancies. SEELB have recently gone on record confirming this assertion.

• As far as I can see, the Minister for Education has only one argument to support her proposals, that of equality of access, in that Preparatory Departments can only be accessed by children whose parents can pay the requisite fees & that this is not consistent with the principle of equity in the distribution of resources. All individuals have the right to choose how they spend their disposable, net/taxed income &, if Preparatory Department parents choose to forego other lifestyle choices to spend their money on their childrens’ education, then that is their individual choice, prerogative & right to do so.

• DENI are currently paying for 2,426 Preparatory School pupils at an average unit cost of £840 or c.£2m per annum in total. Under the new proposals, they would be paying 2,426 pupils at a unit cost of £2,100 = £5m. This excludes the undoubted substantial redundancy payments to unemployed Preparatory Department staff. Despite this, the DEIA states that there is no potential impact on the DENI budget & the Minister for Education has stated this proposal did not have a financial motivation, but rather solely an equality one.

I thank you for reading this letter & trust you will concur that this contentious &, cross-cutting proposal must be decided upon by the Executive Committee. I request that you consider my request to advance this matter to that level at the earliest possible opportunity.

Yours sincerely,

LETTER TEMPLATE 2

Please click here for sample letter,

(kindly donated by Alan Shields)

Anyone should feel free to use this as a basis for their own letters and preferably tailor them to suit their own views, issues, etc. Remember personalising your own letter/email is best.

LETTER TEMPLATE 3

(kindly donated by Nicola Hunter)

Dear First Minister Peter Robinson & Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness,

Further to the relevant motion passed on 15th March 2010, I am writing to request that the entire matter of the proposed withdrawal of preparatory school funding be placed on the Agenda before the Executive.

I do not feel that the Education minister has treated my child(ren) fairly, in that she has failed to respect their individual rights and consult with them on their views/ opinions of their school. The Education Minister has failed to try to identify "a change management process" in a constructive manner to minimise any detrimental impact to my child(ren). Instead she proposes the withdrawal of funds that could potentially have the impact that the "controlled" preps may need to close. This would obviously cause my child(ren)'s safe and happy schooling environment to be disrupted.

Your sincerely